A" 


S'"’ 


Stfr  C3(cla  vTiiirred^up  the ’steep  hill-rpad  that 
rounded'^el  mointahi.  As  the  missionari(£i:^^de  the 
ascent’  t'fyr  atterftion  of  the  one  in  the  side  /icar  was 
drawn  to  th^  rugged  mountain  as  it  rose  almost  per- 
pendicularly rrom  the  road-side,  and  cover^  with  a 
thick  trdpical  ffX^th.  At  the  top  of  the^ilKAiey  made 
the  turn  to  tKe^gh<and  stopped  long  enpu^h  to  get  the 
view  that  lay  .^ead.'  The  road,  was  visible  for  about 
half  a mile,  tn^  ttjdt  bent  to  follow  mountain  line 
it  was  lost  to  vie>^;^lf_one  could  follow  it  he  would  find, 
after  two  miles  of  falftp^gooch  road,  nothing  but  a mule 
trail  over  which  the  “mozos”  drive  their  cargoed  mules 
to  and  from  the  interior  as  far  as  Tegucigalpa,  a five 
day  trip  from  San  Pedro  Sula.  Across  a deep  ravine 
to  the  left  rose  another  range  equally  as  high  as  the 
first.  One  might  step  to  the  edge  of  the  road  and  look- 
ing down  many  feet  see  the  Chamelecon  River  dancing 
its  way  over  its  rocky  bed. 

The  missionary  now  brings  his  cycle  full  around, 
and  faces  the  great  Sula  Plain.  The  river  continues  its 
course  and  looks  like  a silver  ribbon  as  it  cuts  a snake- 
like path  through  the  fields  and  is  lost  to  view  amid  the 
rich,  green  sugar  cane  fields  in  the  distance.  Below, 
stretching  from  the  very  foot  of  the  mountain,  and  for  a 
short  distance  along  the  river,  lies  a village.  The  tropi- 
cal adobe  houses,  and  manaca  shacks  are  side  by  side 
with  the  crude  white  washed  frame  dwellings.  The 
village  store  and  railway  station  are  close  up  under  the 
mountain  along  the  National  Railroad  which  has  been 
built  from  Puerto  Cortes  to  Potrerillos,  a distance  of 
sixty  miles.  The  narrow  streets  look  like  lanes,  and 
each  land  owner  has  built  his  house  whelre  he  pleased, 
consequently  the  general  appearance  is  one  of  dis- 
order and  irregularity.  This  is  Chamelecon,  and  may 
well  be  named  “The  Gateway  to  the  Sula  Valley  from 
the  mountain  trail.” 


Scholar,  Teacher,  Chapel  And  The  Everlasting  Hills 


Not  far  from  the  railroad,  on  one  of  the  three 
streets  that  extend  at  right  angles  to  it  and  the  street 
running  parallel  with  it,  is  the  little  house  our  mis- 
sionaries rented  for  preaching  and  Sunday  school  ser- 
vices in  September,  1924.  This  was  the  result  of  two 
years’  street  preaching  when  the  roads  would  admit  of 
the  mission  auto  making  the  trip  of  six  miles  from  San 


The  Little  Brown  Church  In  The  Vale — Chamelecon 


Pedro  Sula.  By  the  Spring  of  1925  it  was  self  evident 
that  the  little  house  was  too  small.  The  interest  had 
grown  in  spite  of  persecution,  ridicule,  and  boycotting 
until  eight  families  had  banded  themselves  together  for 
special  instruction.  With  the  need  of  larger  quarters 
more  and  more  apparent,  one  of  the  believers,  Don 
Poncho  Erasco,  (the  first  man  of  the  congregation  who 


asked  for  a Christian  marriage)  came  forward  and 
offered  a vacant  lot  for  $175.00.  This  ground  was  on 
the  same  side  of  the  street  between  the  little  Sunday 
school  hall  and  a frame  dwelling  which  was  unoccupied. 
Don  Poncho  became  impatient  waiting  for  mail  to  pass 
between  San  Pedro  and  Washington,  so  one  day  he 
came  offering  his  land  as  a gift  and  to  transmit  the 
offer  of  the  men  among  the  believers  of  one  week’s  work 
free  for  the  erection  of  a chapel.  His  offer  was  accepted. 
It  became  known  that  the  unoccupied  building  adjoin- 
ing was  to  be  rented  for  a saloon,  but  our  four  un- 
married missionaries  purchased  the  property  for  a few 
hundred  dollars,  thus  protecting  our  interests. 

Today  if  you  stood  in  the  road  on  top  of  the  hill 
where  it  rounds  the  mountain,  we  could  point  out  on 
that  lane-like  street  the  little  chapel  which  was  dedi- 
cated September  12,  1926,  at  which  time  eight  adults 
and  seven  children  were  baptised.  The  total  cost  of 
building  and  equipment  was  $1,650.00.  On  Sunday 
the  same  bell  that  once  called  a certain  group  of  our 
Evangelical  people  to  worship  in  the  U.  S.  A.,  is  calling 
our  Evangelical  people  to  worship  in  Honduras.  And 
the  same  organ  that  once  led  a certain  group  of  Evangel- 
ical people  in  singing  songs  to  the  praise  and  glory  of 
Jehovah  in  America,  is  leading  the  singing  of  these 
songs  of  praise  and  glory  in  Central  America. 

With  the  religious  awakening  has  come  the  desire 
to  read  God’s  Word;  but  alas,  many  of  these  people 
cannot  read.  They  have  asked  our  missionaries  for  a 
teacher,  to  whom  their  children  may  go  for  instruc- 
tion during  the  day,  and  to  whom  the  parents  may  go 
for  evening  classes.  Whom  can  we  send?  The  mission- 
aries’ hearts  are  saddened  because  they  have  no  one  to 
send.  Is  the  little  group  holding  true?  “By  their 
fruits  ye  shall  know  them.”  Out  of  that  little  congre- 
gation have  come  two  young  men  to  our  mission  sta- 
tion in  San  Pedro  Sul  a,  that  they  may  be  taught  to 
become  native  workers. 

Let  us  win  the  native  for  Jesus  Christ,  and  we  have 
won  a Native  Evangelist.  That  will  be ‘‘The  Third  Step.” 

» 

FOREIGN  MISSION  BOARD— EVANGELICAL  SYNOD 
2951  Tilden  Street,  N.  W.  Washington,  D.  C.  U.  S.  A. 


H4-10M.12.  26 


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